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Germany’s intense wind turbine installations in 2014 contributed to record-breaking renewable energy production during last week’s high winter wind storms, when wind and solar resources combined reached the output of forty conventional large power plants.

by Elizabeth Pond, 07/04/2015 | Law & Institutions, Central and Eastern European countries

Even as the future of the European Union's neighborhood remains under threat, a few developments on the EU periphery – in Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia – show that civil society and rule of law are making inroads in post-Communist kleptocracies.

An impending June decision by the EU’s Court of Justice will likely tip the balance between free trade and fundamental rights. Arguments were heard last week in Luxembourg in a privacy rights case lodged by Max Schrems, an Austrian law student, against five international tech giants.

A new incentives initiative seeks to complete Germany’s transition to renewables with an appeal to business and a focus on a long-neglected area: the heating and cooling sector. Government support for solar and biogas heat may give the Energiewende a further push in the right direction.

The replacements suggested for 20 year-old EU privacy rules must meet the requirements of “high data protection laws in Germany,” Chancellor Angela Merkel used to insist. When standards are higher elsewhere in Europe, however, Berlin seems all too ready to engage in a privacy race to the bottom.

Is the Franco-German relationship back? Yes, if you believe a recent photo taken of Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande. Yes, if you see both of them working together to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis. But structurally, relations will continue to remain very difficult. The reason is the huge economic disparity between a prospering Germany and a France burdened by stagnation, unemployment, and persistently high debt.

Deputy chancellor Sigmar Gabriel argued this week that it was time to turn the page on austerity policies. But there is little chance of him bringing about a change of course. Rather, the return of the Greek crisis has underlined how little influence Germany’s Social Democrats have shaping euro-saving policies.

Utility companies have begun investing in large-scale battery storage technology for their renewable energy production. But the next frontier – small-scale storage for households and small businesses – is poised to take off as battery technology becomes more affordable.

As dependence on renewable energy production grows, decreasing lithium prices are driving the development of large- and small-scale energy storage technologies across the globe. North America is leading the way with grid-scale energy storage projects, but Asia and Europe are right behind.

Discussions at the Munich Security Conference revealed five very different understandings of the crisis in Ukraine, with five equally different sets of policy options following. The only point of agreement is the severity of the current threat to European stability. It was Chancellor Angela Merkel who delivered a striking dose of realpolitik.

After three years of adherence to strict Troika directives, Portugal takes its first independent economic steps – with mixed reviews. The country must strike a balance between maintaining the fiscal austerity required by its lenders and providing services and protections for its citizens, before the country hemorrhages more of its struggling workforce.

Greece’s radical new government seems to believe that its European partners cannot afford to let the country go broke. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is trying hard to create the opposite impression. Both sides are playing a dangerous game of mutually assured destruction, and there is little time to find a way out.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has announced his intention to pursue an ambitious slate of reforms, but has yet to achieve much of anything – and the problems afflicting the Italian economy may require drastic changes.

With their leadership in disarray, the Pegida movement that got disgruntled Germans in their thousands marching on the streets of Dresden and other cities seems on its last leg. However, its campaign against “the Islamization of the Occident” has unleashed dangerous genies that may end up haunting Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Despite reaching a truce on September 5, Russia and Ukraine have not made any progress on a permanent peace treaty – and a Russian push this week may have scuttled negotiations entirely for the time being. What is more, the newest phase of the crisis could be the most dangerous yet.

Spain was one of the countries hardest hit by the crisis, and its response has been among the most severe. The concern now is that the cure could do as much damage as the disease, with austerity policies threatening to divide the state.

Removing regulations slowing the build-up of renewable systems for consumers and industry, considering complementary methods of integrating fluctuating flows of renewable energy, and greening the transport sector through fuel innovations: these are three of the developments we may see in Germany’s renewable energy transition in 2015.

Ireland’s economy has begun to recover, with 2014 showing GDP growth and a healthier demand for state bonds. However, some risks remain: Ireland’s banking system has yet to fully bounce back, and could prove a liability.

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has been optimistic about his country’s progress, saying that it is now ready to leave the rescue program behind. He had better be right – his political opponents threaten to undo a great deal of the reforms that have been enacted if they win the election on January 25. This could have grave consequences for the eurozone as a whole.

Germany’s political class and media have denounced “Pegida,” the self-declared “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident.” However, in its eastern German hometown of Dresden, the movement is growing stronger and stronger. Our columnist joined the crowds and tried to find out what motivates the protesters.

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Latest Eye on Europe

A few bright spots on Europe’s troubled periphery

Even as the future of the European Union's neighborhood remains under threat, a few developments on the EU periphery – in Ukraine, Romania, and Serbia – show that civil society and rule of law are making inroads in post-Communist kleptocracies.

An impending June decision by the EU’s Court of Justice will likely tip the balance between free trade and fundamental rights. Arguments were heard last week in Luxembourg in a privacy rights case lodged by Max Schrems, an Austrian law student, against five international tech giants.

Euro crisis round-up (part 5 of 5): Portugal's path out of crisis remains a thorny one

After three years of adherence to strict Troika directives, Portugal takes its first independent economic steps – with mixed reviews. The country must strike a balance between maintaining the fiscal austerity required by its lenders and providing services and protections for its citizens, before the country hemorrhages more of its struggling workforce.

Latest Berlin Observer

Contrary to official statements, Berlin is working to weaken EU data protection laws

The replacements suggested for 20 year-old EU privacy rules must meet the requirements of “high data protection laws in Germany,” Chancellor Angela Merkel used to insist. When standards are higher elsewhere in Europe, however, Berlin seems all too ready to engage in a privacy race to the bottom.

Franco-German relations are improving – a bit

Is the Franco-German relationship back? Yes, if you believe a recent photo taken of Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande. Yes, if you see both of them working together to find a solution to the Ukraine crisis. But structurally, relations will continue to remain very difficult. The reason is the huge economic disparity between a prospering Germany and a France burdened by stagnation, unemployment, and persistently high debt.

Germany’s Social Democrat leader tries to change the euro tune to little avail

Deputy chancellor Sigmar Gabriel argued this week that it was time to turn the page on austerity policies. But there is little chance of him bringing about a change of course. Rather, the return of the Greek crisis has underlined how little influence Germany’s Social Democrats have shaping euro-saving policies.